Nevada Ready to License Illegal Immigrants

Immigrants living in Nevada under a temporary reprieve granted by the Obama administration will be eligible for driver’s licenses and state identification cards under a state policy supported by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Nevada is home to some 20,000 immigrants brought to the United States illegally when they were, reports the Las Vegas Sun. They qualify to remain under the reprieve issued by the president after Congress failed to pass the broader version of the so-called “Dream Act.”

Kevin Malone, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, said the immigrants would be treated no differently from any other “noncitizen” applying for a license.

But Republican state Sen. James Settelmeyer says he wants the legislature to weigh in on the question when it reconvenes in early next year.

“If any individual doesn’t have full status, to me, they shouldn’t have a full driver's license,” Settelmeyer said. “A lot of facets need to be discussed at the Legislature.

Some states, including Arizona and Nebraska, are continuing to deny illegal immigrants licenses, even if they qualify under the president's deferred deportation order.

Nevada is honoring the employment authorization card, a photo ID issued by the Department of Homeland Security to immigrants who qualify under deferred action program. Malone said the cards have been issued to other noncitizens in the country legally, and the state has accepted them as acceptable identification when applying for driver's licenses since 1999.